Bio

Diana Cervantes, Ph.D., is an Assistant Director of Research and Evaluation at the Belk Center. She conducts research and evaluation on a variety of projects aimed at accelerating student success and strengthening workforce readiness across the state, including the NC Community Colleges Boost program. Diana earned a Ph.D. in Educational Leadership and Policy from The University of Texas at Austin. She holds a master’s degree in higher and postsecondary education with an emphasis in social/cultural and civic analysis from Teachers College, Columbia University and bachelors degrees from the University of Oregon.

Publications

• The Invisible Middle: Latino Men in Higher Education Student Affairs Master’s Programs , Journal of Student Affairs Research and Practice (2025)
• Learning About Tuition-Free College: Evaluating the Availability and Digital Accessibility of Information on Promise Program Websites , Innovative Higher Education (2024)
• Learning to Unpack the Term Latinx in Higher Education , Journal of Cases in Educational Leadership (2024)
• Get skilled, get a job, give back: Virginia's tuition‐free program for high‐demand jobs , New Directions for Community Colleges (2023)
• Advancing a Framework of Racialized Administrative Burdens in Higher Education Policy , The Journal of Higher Education (2023)
• Advancing a Framework of Racialized Administrative Burdens in Higher Education Policy , Brown Digital Repository (2023)
• Financing promise programs: Where the money comes from and where the money goes , New Directions for Community Colleges (2023)
• Latino men and men of color programs: Research-based recommendations for community college practitioners. , Journal of Diversity in Higher Education (2022)
• “I am a Miracle, Yo soy un Milagro, I am not Supposed to be Here": A Conversation with Bamby Salcedo , JCSCORE (2022)
• Community college competencies for student educational leadership development and degree pathways , New Directions for Student Leadership (2021)

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